Sound is vibration.
Rhythms have ratios.
Octaves are fractions of one another
.

For centuries, musicians have used the mathematical relationships among scales and harmonies to pluck our emotions. Composers lull us with patterns and then surprise us with asymmetries. Even the planets play unheard songs in revolutions and orbits.

The Santa Fe Symphony and the Santa Fe Institute collaborated to produce “The Majesty of Music & Mathematics: Voyages of Discovery IV,” a unique program that illuminates and explores the intersections of music and mathematics. The original production debuted in 2013, featuring dramatic music by the Symphony and narration by SFI mathematician and computer scientist Cris Moore, all complemented by an expansive overhead multimedia presentation. Due to the presentation’s success and noteworthy educational content, The Symphony and SFI worked with New Mexico PBS to produce of a high-definition edition of the program for distribution to the widest possible audience, which was filmed before a live audience at The Lensic in June 2017, and produced by Miles O’Brien.

Majesty of Music and Math Preview

THE MAJESTY OF MUSIC AND MATH is a New Mexico PBS multi-media program that explores the interconnectedness of music and mathematics. Featuring remarks by Santa Fe Institute mathematician and computer scientist Cris Moore and musical selections by the Santa Fe Symphony with Principal Conductor Guillermo Figueroa. Watch Thursday September 6th at 7pm.

Posted by New Mexico PBS on Monday, August 6, 2018

The program took the audience on a mind-expanding journey, from the rhythms of molecules and planets to the harmonies of dolphins and the dissonances of the “devil’s interval,” from the music of Bach to the themes from Harry Potter and Mission: Impossible, from the earliest bone flutes (40,000 years old) to the soundtracks of modern cinema. Never before have mathematical proofs been as moving. The Symphony’s performances spanned the musical spectrum, from demonstrations of harmonics and octaves on the harp and flute to movements from Bach, Brahms, Richard Strauss, Prokofiev, Handel, Holst, Wagner, Adams and more. “The Majesty of Music and Mathematics” was the fourth in a series of “Voyages of Discovery” concerts presented by The Santa Fe Symphony and the Santa Fe Institute. On Sunday, Sunday, August 5—4:00 pm at The Lensic, the world premiere was screened at The Lensic.